Christiana Bennett

Born: Townsend, Massachusetts.

Joined in 1999. Promoted to Soloist in 2003. Promoted to Principal in 2004.

Christiana Bennett received her training at Pennsylvania Ballet, School of American Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Before joining Ballet West, Christiana performed with Pacific Northwest Ballet and Commonwealth Civic Ballet, and was a guest artist for the City Ballet of Boston. She has received the Coca-Cola Foundation Arts Award and the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts award in dance. 

Since joining Ballet West, Christiana has performed Aurora in Jonas Kåge's The Sleeping Beauty, Juliet in the World Premiere of Jonas Kåge's Romeo and Juliet, and Myrthe in Kåge's Giselle. Additional roles include Tough Girl in Antony Tudor’s Echoing of Trumpets, the Third Principal Couple in Hans van Manen's Black Cake, and principal roles in William Forsythe’s Artifact II and In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated. Many of her featured roles have come from Balanchine ballets, including A Midsummer’s Night Dream, The Four Temperaments, Who Cares?, Allegro Brillante, Concerto Barocco, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Theme and Variations, and Serenade. Christiana’s portrayal of Caroline in Tudor’s Lilac Garden won her international acclaim at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2004.

Some of Christiana’s favorite moments are performing in the 2008 world premiere of Christopher Ruud’s One, in George Balanchine’s Serenade at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in 2009, and as “Odette/Odile” in Adam Sklute’s newly conceived and produced Swan Lake in 2010.